I was going to drag Leah along and kill two birds with one stone. And Phoenix probably wouldn’t kill me for poking around in government business.
***
Peter held his car keys out of my reach. “Are you sure this is a good idea?”
I glanced over my shoulder at where Jessica and Leah were standing by Peter’s front gate in awkward silence. So the instant-besties plan hadn’t worked out.
“It’s a genius idea,” I insisted.
“Are you ready to go back there?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I snapped, then I relaxed. “Sorry. Yes, I’m fine. I’m more concerned with overly tall mini-me over there. She needs something good to happen, and this could be it.”
“And if this mysterious boy isn’t there?”
“Then I’m going to have to hire you and Val to find him for me.” I gave him my best smile. “Friends and family discount, right?”
He rolled his eyes. “I suppose I owe you that much. So how would the new kid be for babysitting duty?”
I flinched at the idea of Jess losing her temper around Emmett. “Never going to happen,” I said sharply.
Peter looked almost hurt, but I couldn’t clarify without having everyone worry about Jess’s presence in the cul-de-sac. I knew how unfair that was, but I needed them to give her a chance first.
He held out the keys. “Don’t hurt my baby.”
“Thanks.” I took the keys then hesitated. I couldn’t think of anything else to say, so I turned my back on him. Dealing with Peter would stay on the backburner for as long as I could hold him there.
I shook the keys as I passed the girls. When I sat in the driver’s seat, his cinnamon scent overwhelmed me, and it took me more than one go to stick the key in the ignition.
“You’re super anxious today,” Leah piped up from the backseat.
Jessica gave me a pointed look. Teenagers were supposed to be self-absorbed. I had to know all of the observant and interested ones.
“I’m fine,” I said. “I haven’t been to the home in a while. That’s all.”
“Some of them saved her life,” Leah told Jessica, “when she was trying to save the world and all.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wasn’t trying to save the world. But yes, they did help us when it was over. I don’t even know who.”
“We’ll find out,” Leah said.
“You’re way too excited,” I said. “We need to take you out more.”
“Well, duh.” She grinned. “Jess, you seem nervous, too. There’s nothing to worry about, you know.”
“Everyone’s nervous the first time they see the special kids who lived in Hell,” I said wryly. “But they’re pretty normal.” I started the car.
“If you say so,” Jessica said. “Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you… is there a chance I could use a computer and email some people? It’s the only way I can contact them. I don’t know if they have access yet, but you said a lot has gone back to normal in the UK, right?”
I nodded as I turned out of the cul-de-sac. “Of course. I would have offered already, but your dad made it sound like you didn’t have anyone to contact.”
She stared at her feet. “We fell in with a group, but we had to leave them. Before I was sold off, I had given their location to him because I thought he was a soldier and he would help them. But he didn’t.”
I winced. “And the same thing happened to them?”
“Kind of,” she said. “A policewoman who had taken charge of everyone was sold, too, and we escaped together with another girl. I’d like to know how everyone is doing. If they’re safe or whatever. I’d like to let them know we’re safe, too. They were kind of the closest things to family I ever had, so…”
“Yeah, of course.” Every time she revealed a little more of her life, I felt sorrier for her. She had been through more than most girls her age. Then again, so had kids like Leah and the ones living in the children’s home. “You and Leah must have a lot in common.”
Jess turned to look at Leah. “Ava told me you were in hiding, too.”
Leah nodded. “I was in the slave market in Hell as a baby. Val was a guard there, and she broke us out to keep me safe. I was worth money, I suppose, because we kept having to run all of the time. Then we ended up in the sanctuary with other people. When the sanctuary wasn’t safe anymore, Ava brought us to the cul-de-sac.” She grinned. “It was way more dramatic at the time.”
I smiled at her in the mirror. “I can’t pretend to know exactly what either of you have been through, but at least you both know you aren’t alone.”
That seemed to break the ice. The girls chatted as I drove. Of course, they talked about things like death and war, but maybe someday they would move on to nice, healthy, shallow subjects.
As we drew closer to the children’s home, my fingers tightened on the steering wheel. I wasn’t worried about seeing the children again. I was freaking out because I was going to the place where I had almost died, the place where Gabe and Eddie had been killed. The place where the world had opened itself up to demons. The place Esther had been seriously harmed in. The place Carl had tried to die alongside me. That place sucked. The memories sucked. I didn’t want to go back.
My breathing grew heavy. I was being drawn back into my own horrific memories, and I wanted to run away screaming.
I pulled through the gates and saw the bodies strung up on the walls again. I licked my dry lips and exhaled slowly, trying to calm down. As I turned into the driveway, my eyes found the scorched grass that marked the path Eddie Brogan’s dead wife had taken when she was summoned. I saw her stab herself in the stomach in order to kill whatever had replaced their baby. My eyes watered as I remembered his face, the pain in his expression. He had taken so much from me and other people to get to that point, and the object of his devotion had stopped him. I doubted anyone else could have killed him. It had to be love, and that made it all the more depressing.
I stopped the car, killed the engine, and tried to get a grip on myself.
“Ava?” Leah whispered after a moment.
I squeezed my eyes shut, counted to five, then let go of the wheel. “Out you go,” I said as brightly as I could manage.
We got out of the car. A sharp wind gusted around us, giving more weight to the memories.
“Well, here we are,” I said in a shaky voice. “Let’s go inside and take a look around, shall we?”
I had prepared a story for whoever was in charge of the children, but Alanii met us at the door with a smile. Esther’s friend no longer hated my guts. She would understand.
“Yo,” she said. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Keeping busy,” I said. “What about you?”
“These kids have been keeping me hopping,” she said. “I got assigned to the place a week ago, and I swear I haven’t slept since.”
“I can imagine. Is Esther staying with you?”
Her smile fell. “No. I assumed she was with you.” She glanced over her shoulder. “This isn’t the place.”
“Of course. I thought it was about time I came around. These kids saved my life, after all.”
“That was crazy,” she said, shaking her head. “Hi, girls.” She gave Jessica a curious look.
I ignored it. “These two are probably going to end up in the school with this lot, so I figured maybe an introduction was in order. And Leah here can have a kind of sensory overload around a large number of people, so we’re trying to work her up to spending time at school.”
Since Alanii was new at the home, she wouldn’t know that Leah had pretty much overcome that problem already. As long as everything remained calm, she could deal.
Alanii gave Leah a doubtful look. “Oh, okay. Why not? Want me to show you around?”
“That would be great!” I shepherded the girls inside after Alanii. “Let me know if you sense anything out of the ordinary,” I whispered to Leah.
She gave me a knowing look. “And the sensory overload should trigge
r in about five seconds, Ava.”
“Hold out as long as you can, but don’t hurt yourself if it goes wrong.”
She nodded. She was in on the plan, but I didn’t want her to push herself too hard, either.
“Come see the changes we made in the dorms,” Alanii said. “We still have more to do, though. It’s a work in progress.”
She led us upstairs. The hallways had been painted some pastel colours, which was nicer than the white. The dormitories had some personal items that made the place look slightly homier, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
“What do you think?” Alanii asked.
“Um, looks better,” I said.
Alanii showed us to a common area next. A few children huddled around a television. “Normal” toys and activities filled the room, but most of the things looked untouched.
“How have they been behaving?” I asked.
“They’re quiet for the most part,” Alanii said. “But when they’re wild, they’re really wild.”
Leah fanned her face with one hand.
“Maybe a little fresh air would help,” I said.
“We’ve lots to see outside,” Alanii said enthusiastically as she led us back outside. “So we’re trying to turn the place into somewhere they always have something to do. The basketball court was set up a couple of days ago. No interest yet, but the school is going to have a proper PE teacher, so we’re hoping that will help get them wanting to play.”
“That’s good,” I said. “I mean, you can’t just pile new stuff into the place and expect the kids to know what to do with it all, right?”
“Exactly,” Alanii said. “We’ve been arranging for tutors to come and prepare the kids for the school. It’s going okay, but I’m hoping the actual school will have more benefit to them. I mean, they’re sick of seeing these walls. It’ll be good for them to have another place to go.”
“How close are you to the school being ready?” I asked.
“Another couple of months. They’ll be introduced to the place before the summer, but the school officially opens in September. Some of the teenagers won’t be attending, and a couple of the younger children are too much of a risk to have around large numbers of other kids, but it’ll come together in the end.”
“And the werewolf cubs?” I asked.
“Three will be attending school in the new year,” she said. “They need time to adapt to their new lives, so they’ll be starting later than the rest. I’m hoping it will work. It’ll be difficult for them at first, but we have high hopes.”
“Werewolf cubs?” Jessica asked in a doubtful tone.
“No exclusions,” Alanii said.
“How’s the mood around here about the school thing?” I asked.
“A mix of excitement and nervousness,” Alanii said. “In a few years, there’ll be supernatural schools all over the country, maybe even mixed schools. I’m looking forward to the integration, now that we’ve gone public.”
“There’s been some backlash, though,” I said. “Any idea on how you’ll all handle that?”
“We’ll—”
“I don’t feel good,” Leah said weakly. “There’s something…” She widened her eyes at me.
“Alanii, could you possibly take Leah back to the car while I run back inside and find the kids who helped me?”
Alanii hesitated before nodding. “Of course. Take your time.”
“Jess, you might as well come with me and meet them,” I said. “Leah, you did good. Take a breather, and I’ll be back before you know it.”
I grabbed Jessica’s arm and jogged back inside before Alanii could change her mind. Something was happening in there, something only Leah could sense, and I wanted to see it before anyone could hide it from me. I trusted Alanii, but I wasn’t sure where her loyalty lay when it came to the children’s home.
“Shouldn’t we get back to Leah?” Jess asked.
“Not yet.” I closed my eyes and reached out with my senses. A bunch of energies had gathered in one room. “Hurry!”
I ran, followed by a rather confused Jess, until we burst into the dining room. A large group of older children, led by a smirking Noah and his girlfriend, were facing off with a tall boy whose face was half-covered by a hood. He was practically backed into a corner, and his hands glowed with flames.
“Holy shit,” I whispered.
Noah’s girlfriend made a sharp movement with her hand. The air seemed to vibrate and spin in front of her, then the hooded boy was pressed even harder against the wall. His arm jerked with the movement, and a flicker of fire shot out, singeing the girl’s shirt. She swore and slapped at the fabric. Noah took a step toward the boy.
“Parker?” Jessica asked in a shaky voice.
Before I could stop her, she was running. Noah raised his fist, but Jess got there first and punched Noah in the nose. Noah’s girlfriend immediately prepared to blast some magic at Jess. I ran, but Parker pushed Jess behind him and held up his arm. His fire flamed in a kind of shield as the magic hit.
Jessica’s eyes burned red, and Parker’s eyes were pretty glowy, too. Noah jumped to his feet, his gaze cold and dark on Jessica.
“Enough!” I shouted.
Jessica made a weird hissing sound and pushed Parker against the wall. The carpet smoked as Jessica leaped forward, colliding with Noah.
Noah’s girlfriend prepared to use magic again. Parker’s fire burned brighter.
“No!” I yelled. I dove into the tussle on the floor, separating Jessica and Noah, who were attempting to tear lumps out of each other. I was so not good with teenagers.
“Stop this! Instantly!” Phoenix’s voice sent chills down my spine.
Noah rolled away from the fight, but Jessica still reached for him. I pinned her arms and called her name, but her eyes were blood red and unseeing.
Parker knelt beside us and pressed his hand against her cheek. She flinched when he called her name, blinking hard as the red seeped away. He pulled back, leaving her cheek red from his heat. His hood had fallen down, revealing a mixed heritage, acne scars, and a serious crush on Jessica.
“Ava,” Phoenix said warningly, “care to explain what’s going on here?”
Jessica seemed calm enough for me to let her go. “Be cool,” I whispered.
I stood and turned. Phoenix was standing next to an embarrassed Alanii and sheepish Leah, his expression unreadable.
“Hi,” I said. “Just some… growing pains.”
His eyebrows arched.
I remembered I was supposed to be angry with Phoenix for hiding Parker and not even giving me a heads-up. “So,” I said, “kinda weird we found Parker right here, eh? Singed rugs and all.”
“I came to speak to him today,” he said. “He hasn’t shown signs of fire before.”
“Strange things happen when someone is provoked.”
“Provoked!” Noah snorted. “He started it.”
“What are you, ten? Give it a rest, Noah,” I snapped.
“He’s a freak,” Noah said scornfully.
“I’ve got news for you. We’re all freaks. Nobody cares.” I gave Alanii an apologetic smile. “Sorry I didn’t tell you the full story. I wasn’t sure if he was here, and I didn’t want to get her hopes up. Leah, you doing okay?”
She nodded, but her gaze was on Jessica, who was still trying to settle down.
I turned to Noah and his friends. “Ganging up on one person is the coward’s way. You have enough going against you already; don’t be arseholes. And magic isn’t supposed to be used like that, so quit it.” I sighed and turned back to Jess. “Control the temper, Jess. It isn’t helping you or him.” I gestured at Parker. “And kid? You don’t know me, but I’m not your enemy. And fire inside a building is pretty much the ultimate safety hazard. Try not to burn Jess to a crisp the next time you need to flash the flame around.”
Parker nodded, looking ashamed.
“You all need to accept that you’re going to be meeting new people,” I said. “Most of
you are a little different. You can’t act like immature idiots every time something new comes along. Do we understand each other?”
Noah shrugged. “You haven’t been around. You don’t know what it’s like.”
“I know that there are enough people out there who have a problem with us without us turning on each other.” I finally worked up the courage to face Phoenix. “We need to talk. Right now.”
To my surprise, he gave a little nod before directing Noah and his friends out of the way. He did give them a promise of future punishment, though.
“I’ll get these three a snack,” Alanii said. “You and Phoenix can go to the office. It should be empty right now.”
Phoenix gestured for me to follow him. I widened my eyes at Leah, who subdued her giggle when Phoenix gave her a sharp look.
The office was basically a cupboard with filing cabinets. There wasn’t a lot of space, so I was pretty sure we weren’t about to scrap it out.
“Were you planning on stealing him?” Phoenix asked.
“I was planning on taking him back to his guardian,” I said. “That’s the plan here, right? Reunite these kids with the closest thing they have to parents?”
Phoenix shook his head. “The boy is unstable.”
“He’s not yours.” I put my hands on my hips. “And you knew we were looking for him. You knew he was here, and you didn’t say a word.”
“I didn’t know for sure.”
“Bullshit! You knew, and you didn’t tell me. Why?”
He looked exasperated. “I already told you about the paragon. I can’t allow these children to run around unchecked. A kirin? They indulge in the temptations from their own fire.”
“That kid’s too ashamed of who he is to indulge in anything. You didn’t see him. He didn’t attack. He only used the fire to protect Jess.”
“What if he decides to attack next time? Or the time after that? And that girl is out of control.”
“I can handle her.” I hope.
“That isn’t the point. The paragon is just waiting for the chance to interfere. I’m protecting the boy by keeping him here.”